’Pray, gentlemen, wat you want? weel a you ’av the goodness to permit us to go on?’

I now observed for the first time, with a kind of shock, that the shorter of the two men, who prevented our advance, was the person who had accosted me so offensively at Church Scarsdale.  I pulled Madame by the arm, whispering, ‘Let us run.’

‘Be quaite, my dear Maud,’ was her only reply.

‘I tell you what,’ said the tall man, who had replaced his high hat more jauntily than before on the side of his head, ’We’ve caught you now, fair game, and we’ll let you off on conditions.  You must not be frightened, Miss.  Upon my honour and soul, I mean no mischief; do I, Lollipop?  I call him Lord Lollipop; it’s only chaff, though; his name’s Smith.  Now, Lolly, I vote we let the prisoners go, when we just introduce them to Mrs. Smith; she’s sitting in the carriage, and keeps Mr. S. here in precious good order, I promise you.  There’s easy terms for you, eh, and we’ll have a glass o’ curacoa round, and so part friends.  Is it a bargain?  Come!’

‘Yes, Maud, we must go—­wat matter?’ whispered Madame vehemently.

‘You shan’t,’ I said, instinctively terrified.

’You’ll go with Ma’am, young ‘un, won’t you?’ said Mr. Smith, as his companion called him.

Madame was holding my arm, but I snatched it from her, and would have run; the tall man, however, placed his arms round me and held me fast with an affectation of playfulness, but his grip was hard enough to hurt me a good deal.  Being now thoroughly frightened, after an ineffectual struggle, during which I heard Madame say, ’You fool, Maud, weel you come with me? see wat you are doing,’ I began to scream, shriek after shriek, which the man attempted to drown with loud hooting, peals of laughter, forcing his handkerchief against my mouth, while Madame continued to bawl her exhortations to ‘be quaite’ in my ear.

‘I’ll lift her, I say!’ said a gruff voice behind me.

But at this instant, wild with terror, I distinctly heard other voices shouting.  The men who surrounded me were instantly silent, and all looked in the direction of the sound, now very near, and I screamed with redoubled energy.  The ruffian behind me thrust his great hand over my mouth.

‘It is the gamekeeper,’ cried Madame. ’Two gamekeepers—­we are safe—­thank Heaven!’ and she began to call on Dykes by name.

I only remember, feeling myself at liberty—­running a few steps—­seeing Dykes’ white furious face—­clinging to his arm, with which he was bringing his gun to a level, and saying, ‘Don’t fire—­they’ll murder us if you do.’

Madame, screaming lustily, ran up at the same moment.

‘Run on to the gate and lock it—­I’ll be wi’ ye in a minute,’ cried he to the other gamekeeper; who started instantly on this mission, for the three ruffians were already in full retreat for the carriage.

Giddy—­wild—­fainting—­still terror carried me on.